As of 4:22 p.m. Dec. 27, officials at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International were expecting a total of 191 flight delays and 1 cancellation through midnight due to bad weather in the northeast and midwest U.S.

Miami International Airport: As of 4:00 p.m. there were nine weather related delays and 10 cancellations at the Miami airport, spokesman Marc Henderson said.

Warm weather locales Miami and Orlando are among the top destinations travelers are opting to ring in 2013, according to a recent Hotwire.com report. Other popular cities are New York, Las Vegas and New Orleans.

MIA's North Concourse D, Miami Dade Aviation Department/COURTESY

Hot spot Miami is a newcomer to the list at No. 5, with average nightly hotel rates of $157, meanwhile Orlando, takes the No. 1 spot and hotel rate of $73.

Orlando remains a perpetual favorite for families because of its theme parks, Hotwire said.

The top 10 destinations are as follows:

Rank

City

Average Nightly Rates on Hotwire

1.

Orlando, Florida

$73

2.

Chicago, Illinois

$88

3.

Las Vegas, Nevada

$133

4.

New York City, New York

$231

5.

Miami, Florida

$157

6.

San Francisco, California

$114

7.

London, England

$128

8.

San Diego, California

$79

9.

Los Angeles, California

$111

10.

New Orleans, Louisiana

$142

The top 10 list of New Year’s destinations and average prices were based on hotel bookings made on its website Dec. 4, for travel between Dec. 30 and Jan. 2, according to Hotwire.

(2) exchange their car, at no additional charge, by selecting another one from the designated area or

(3) upgrade their vehicle for an additional charge by choosing a specialty car or SUV from the designated area.

Customers can then simply drive their selected vehicle to the exit gate, present a valid driver’s license to the representative and the rental check-out process is completed, Avis said in a release.

“We are committed to enhancing the customer experience as a means to accelerate growth,” said Gina Bruzzichesi, senior vice president, customer experience, Avis Budget Group, in a statement. “We’re pleased to deliver on this strategic initiative by introducing Select & Go service at the nation’s top airport locations.”

Avis Preferred Select & Go will be available at roughly 50 North American airport locations by the end of 2012.

The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline recently filed applications with the U.S. Department of Transportation for rights to fly 17 additional weekly frequencies between the United States and the South American nation.

American said it’s proposing to increase its current service between Miami and Rio de Janeiro, as well as New York’s JFK airport and Sao Paulo starting Oct. 1.

American Airlines 757 aircraft, Courtesy of AA.com

It’s also aiming to increase its Miami to Recife and Miami to Salvador service on Nov. 15; and add a second daily Miami to Rio de Janeiro flight on Dec. 15.

American is also seeking to convert its daily Miami to Recife-Salvador, Brazil one-stop service to nonstop flights five days a week between Miami and Recife, and between Miami and Salvador.

“Brazil is a very important and growing market for American Airlines,” said Virasb Vahidi, American’s Chief Commercial Officer, in a statement. “With these additional frequencies, we plan to begin operating new service as soon as Oct. 1, giving our customers even more travel options to Brazil which is Latin America’s largest economy.”

First came Miami Spa Month, Film Month and Live Music month, each with special travel packages.

Now, the Miami area is offering its first annual Golf Month, organized by the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and lasting throughout April.

Miami Golf Month features special offers at golf courses and golf resorts in Miami-Dade County, including the Biltmore, Doral and Turnberry Isle, among others.

At Doral Golf Resort & Spa, for example, rates start at $115 a night from April 15-30 for packages that include a garden-view room, round of golf, daily breakfast buffet, unlimited use of the driving range and an introductory golf clinic hosted by the Jim McLean Golf School. For information, call 305-591-6409. Use booking code G4X.

Miami residents are tops among 20 U.S. cities for lifting amenities from hotel rooms, according to a recent LivingSocial Travel Escapes survey.

A whopping 52 percent of Miamians surveyed admitted to having sticky fingers when staying in a hotel abroad compared with 39 percent of Americans overall, the survey revealed.

Just what are they walking away with?

Thirty-seven percent of Magic City residents said they pilfer towels; eight percent bath robes; seven percent sheets, and six percent the remote control.

Survey results revealed Miamians also take more vacation days – 21.4 days a year compared to the national average of 14.8 days. They also spend more time abroad – 7.4 days versus the national average of 3.7 days.

Beach shot, LivingSocial Travel Escapes/COURTESY

Turns out Miamians aren’t nature freaks and are least likely among those surveyed to go camping, but they rank No. 2 for volunteering while on vacation.

The Mandarin Oriental in Miami is the latest South Florida hotel to be recognized on AAA’s five-diamond list of the best hotels in North America.

The travel group chose 126 hotels in the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean for its five-diamond list. That’s from thousands of AAA-approved hotels operating in the area.

All other five-diamond hotels selected in South Florida have made the prestigious list before.

The others recognized in South Florida and the year they were first listed are: The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale (2009); The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach (2008); Four Seasons Hotel Miami (2006); Four Seasons Resort, Palm Beach (2009); The Breakers, Palm Beach (1996); Aqualina Resort & Spa on the Beach, Sunny Isles (2009).

International visitors are key to cruises, Courtesy of Port Everglades

Thank international visitors for helping fuel tourism in Florida and across the United States.

Through September, the number of international visitors to the United States reached 47.4 million, up 5 percent from the same period last year, the U.S. Commerce Department said.

The biggest gains for the period among the top 10 source countries came from China, up 37 percent; Brazil, up 28 percent; Australia, up 19 percent; and France, up 15 percent, the report said.

New York, Miami and Los Angeles were the top three ports of entry for the period for overseas visitors, which do not include arrivals from Canada and Mexico.

South Florida tourism has been especially helped by soaring arrivals from Brazil.

International visitors generally stay longer and spend more money on U.S. trips than domestic travelers. They make up about half of the overnight tourists in Miami-Dade County, about 25 percent in Broward County and less than 15 percent in Palm Beach County, according to county tourism bureaus.

Through September, international visitors spent roughly $112.8 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services, up 13 percent from the same period last year.

That’s more money than U.S. residents spent on trips abroad in the same period. Through September, U.S. residents spent about $82.3 billion abroad, up 8 percent from the same period last year, said the Commerce Department.